Various submersible pump systems are available for use in underground and other types of utility vaults. Some of these systems utilize two round pipes placed side-by-side as guide rails for raising and lower the pump into the vault. One end of these pipes is mounted to the top of pump bases and the opposing end is mounted to an opening at the top of the vault. The rails are inserted into guides located in the sides of the pump. When the pump is raised or lowered, the receiver glides along the rails. A disadvantage in using these types of pipes is the cost and waste associated with their use. In particular, 2-inch diameter pipe is commonly used for guide rails, but this type of pipe is often provided in 20-foot lengths, whereas industry standards and pump manufacturers require that each pipe section in a submersible pump system must be joined and supported every 10-15 feet using intermediate guide rail brackets. As such, each 20-foot section of 2-inch pipe must be cut to meet this requirement, which results in wasted excess piping.
Another disadvantage of pipes is that they are often difficult to transport and require special means of transportation, which adds to the costs of using pipes as rails. In particular, since pipes are often provided in a standard 20-foot length, it is difficult to transport the pipes in the bed of a standard work truck. As such, it was often necessary to arrange for the pipes to be shipped using special shipment, such as on a tractor-trailer truck.
A third disadvantage of pipes is the cost for their initial installation as well as the cost of their replacement. As explained above, the initial costs of installation are high due, in large part, to the wasted excess pipe. Also, recent changes in the industry have led to a decreased useful life for guide rails, which has increased the replacement costs. In particular, high efficiency toilets have recently become more popular in the industry. The use of high efficiency toilets, however, often results in a reduction in volume of water, increasing the percentage of organic solids and an increased in production of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas in utility vaults. Hydrogen Sulfide gas is known to cause more rapid deterioration of traditional pipes, which has required that the pipes be replaced more often than was traditionally required. This has resulted in substantial additional costs associated with the use of pipes as guide rails for submersible pump systems.
Accordingly, due to changes in marketplace demand, industry standards, manufacturer requirements, technological improvements, etc., there is a need for an improved submersible pump guide rail system that offers improved functionality while remaining compatible with components of older pipe systems.
The above and other needs are met by a submersible pump system for use in guiding a submersible pump to a pump base. The system includes a pump base having an inlet and a first rail mounting point, a submersible pump having an outlet configured to mate with the inlet of the pump base and a first rail receiver configured to glide along a guide rail. The system is provided with a first elongate guide rail having a plurality of sides defining a polygon shape having an interior space, a top end, a bottom end, and first and second edges forming a slot therebetween that extends between the top and bottom ends of the guide rail, the first guide rail extending upwardly from the first mounting point.
In certain embodiments, the submersible pump system includes a first guide rail having a first flat side surface, a second flat side surface substantially parallel with the first flat side surface, a flat back surface disposed between the first and second flat surfaces and opposite from the slot, and outward-curving bends disposed between the back surface and the first and second side surfaces. Sometimes the first guide rail includes a plurality of adjacent first flat side surfaces angled with respect to one another and a plurality of adjacent second flat side surfaces angled with respect to one another. Wherein each one of the plurality of first flat side surfaces is parallel with one of the plurality of second flat side surfaces. And wherein the flat back surface is disposed between the plurality of first side surfaces and the plurality of second side surfaces. And wherein outward-curving bends are disposed between each of the adjacent first flat side surfaces and between each of the adjacent second flat side surfaces.
In certain embodiments, the first guide rail includes two or more guide rails abutting end-to-end and oriented so that the slots are aligned to form a single continuous slot along the entire length of the two or more guide rails. It also includes a rail sleeve having a polygonal outer wall having a top end and a bottom end and two or more openings disposed in the wall, wherein a rail sleeve is inserted into the interior space of the two or more guide rails at each abutment and is arranged so that the two or more openings face the slot of the two or more guide rails and at least one of the two or more openings is disposed on either side of the abutment. It also includes a threaded fastener disposed in each of the two or more openings and passing through the slot of each of the two or more guide rails and connected to a threaded nut.
In some embodiments, the submersible pump system includes a second elongate rail. A U-shaped rail bracket having a back surface, left and right sides extending away from the back surface, and at least two vertically-aligned attachment points disposed in each of the left and right sides connects the first and second elongate rails together. In particular, the first rail is mounted to the left side of the rail bracket by inserting a fastener through each of the at least two vertically-aligned attachment points, through the slot of each of the two or more guide rails and connected to a threaded nut. Similarly, the second rail is mounted to the right side of the rail bracket by inserting a fastener through each of the at least two vertically-aligned attachment points, through the slot of each of the two or more guide rails and connected to a threaded nut.